Hurricane Gonzalo: most of Bermuda's residents without power after storm hits

Hurricane Gonzalo scored a direct hit on Bermuda Friday night into Saturday morning, pummeling the tiny island chain with rain and howling winds that downed trees and knocked out power but spared it catastrophic damage or death.

Much of the Atlantic archipelago, a tourist destination and affluent insurance industry hub abou 1,030 km off the coast of North Carolina, was still without electricity Saturday afternoon and many roads were impassable due to debris.

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Only minor injuries were reported after the strongest storm to sweep the subtropical British territory in a decade hurtled through with maximum sustained winds of around 175 kph. The storm made landfall on Friday night with hurricane-force winds extending up to 95 km from its centre, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

There was extensive property damage across the islands, including roof damage and flooding at the main hospital, but it was "all things that can be replaced and restored," Premier Michael Dunkley said in a statement.

I think all of Bermuda would agree that we took a licking. We are a bit bruised.- Premier Michael Dunkley 

"I think all of Bermuda would agree that we took a licking. We are a bit bruised," Dunkley said in a radio broadcast, according to the local Royal Gazette. But, he added, "all in all we came out of this storm much better than we expected."

By Saturday afternoon, Gonzalo was about 725 km north-northeast of Bermuda, with sustained winds of 150 kph, the hurricane centre said.

Bermuda Electric Light Co. had restored power to thousands of customers, though about 20,000 out of 36,000 metered connections remained without electricity, the company said.

Gonzalo roared ashore just five days after Tropical Storm Fay hit, serving a one-two punch to the island.

"The centre of the eye went right over them," said Chris Landsea, a meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center. "It was a direct hit."

Weakening

Gonzalo knocked instruments offline at the Bermuda Radio Maritime Operations Center in St. Georges and at the Bermuda International Airport, the hurricane centre reported. Its fierce winds capsized some boats in a dockyard, felled electricity poles and road signs and blew out windows.

The Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo in Flatts reported substantial damage, including a roof torn off an exhibit and serious coastal erosion, but all its animals were safe.

Gonzalo peaked on Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane, the first of such strength in the Atlantic since 2011, before weakening. It was expected to continue weakening as it moved with increased speed northward over cooler waters.

Large swells generated by Gonzalo were still affecting the U.S. East Coast, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and the Virgin Islands, causing life-threatening surf and rip currents, the hurricane center said.

Gonzalo is expected to pass near the coast of Newfoundland on Saturday night or early Sunday, hurricane centre forecasters said, adding that Canadian officials had issued a tropical storm watch from Arnold's Cove to Chapel's Cove.

Earlier, Gonzalo wrought destruction in the Caribbean, tearing off roofs in Antigua, and killing an elderly sailor and damaging some three dozen vessels in St. Maarten.